Lee Yoon-taek, one of South Korea's most prominent theater directors, was sentenced to six years in prison for sexually assaulting nine women.

The former artistic director of the National Theater of Korea was accused of abusing actresses during training sessions and there are 17 women in total who came forward to accuse him of sexual violence according to the report of BBC.

“I feel so ashamed and crushed,” said Lee Yoon-taek at a news conference in Seoul, “I am ready to take all punishment, including legal responsibilities for my crimes.”

The court in Seoul revealed that in eight cases, Lee fondled women during voice training, put his hands down their blouses and forced them to massage his genitals. Lee attempted rape in the ninth case according to BBC.

The court also states, "The accused claims these activities were all part of acting lessons, but they should be considered sexual abuses as there was no explicit consent from the victims."

The #MeToo campaign has swept South Korea this year, after several high-profile men were accused of sexual misconduct.